Main menu

Porsche LMP1 contender to hit the track in mid-2013

Porsche has not participated in the Le Mans prototype ranks since its RS Spyder last competed at Petit Le Mans in 2008. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Porsche will revive its in-house factory team for its return to the prototype ranks in 2014.

The German manufacturer's forthcoming LMP1 hybrid race car will be run by a full works team based at its Weissach research and development headquarters in Germany. This facility near Stuttgart is where Porsche is designing, developing and building its first outright contender for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since 1998.

Porsche R&D boss Wolfgang Hatz made the announcement on Dec. 8 at Porsche's Night of Champions awards ceremony in Germany.

“The car will be run by our own works team based here at Weissach,” he said.

Porsche has upgraded its motorsports facility since its last major program with the RS Spyder LMP2 car, which was run by the factory-backed Penske team in the American Le Mans Series, and by customer teams in Europe. Autoweek understands that approximately 200 people are working on the project.

Hatz said that the new Porsche LMP1 is due to run for the first time in the middle of next year. The only other news on the project was the confirmation of a restructuring of Porsche Motorsport, with former BMW man Fritz Enzinger taking control of the LMP1 project and head of motorsport Hartmut Kristen retaining control of the manufacturer's 911-based programs.

The majority of Porsche's 16 Le Mans wins have come with teams run direct from the factory. That number includes its final victory with the 911 GT1-98 more than 14 years ago.

Porsche will run a factory team for the first time since 1998 in next year's FIA World Endurance Championship as it develops its new 991-shape 911 RSR GTE contender. The car will be run in conjunction with Manthey Racing under the Porsche AG Team Manthey banner.